POLITICS | Why the Nigerian Government Likely Released Binance Officer, Tigran Gambaryan

18 U.S. Attorney Generals send a strong plea to the U.S President and Secretary of State to designate Tigran a hostage and take strong diplomatic action and put political pressure on the Nigerian government.

CryptoGuru··5 min read

After spending 9 months in detention incarcerated in Nigeria, Tigran Gambaryan, Head of Compliance at Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, is finally free.

Tigran traveled to Nigeria in February 2024 at the invitation of local officials to discuss strategies to better police the crypto markets. Upon his arrival, instead of receiving the professional respect his service warrants and was promised by the National Security Advisor, he was arrested without cause, his passport confiscated, and he was detained without formal charges.

For two weeks, he was denied his most basic human rights. No access to:

  • The U.S. Embassy
  • Legal counsel, or even
  • Basic medical and nutritional requirements

For months, Gambaryan has been held in Kuje Prison, a facility notorious for housing violent extremists from Boko Haram and ISIS. His detention represents not only a violation of Nigerian law but also sets a dangerous precedent for the treatment of citizens abroad.

Afer a few weeks, it was becoming evident that Nigerian authorities were using Gambaryan’s detention as leverage in their dispute with his employer. This blatant misuse of power is nothing less than extortion.

Since February 2024, various attempts to free Gambaryan have been attempted without success. Some of these include:

  • Binance withdrawing its services from Nigeria
  • Binance agreeing to cooperate with the authorities
  • A plea from Binance CEO to free Tigran
  • Binance withdraw to apply for a license until Tigran is freed
  • A plea from Tigran’s wife
  • A plea to get Tigran medical care following bouts of illnesses
  • A plea from U.S. government officials to U.S. President and Nigerian President

After months of all the above, it seems that one final plea from U.S. attorney generals finally forced the Nigerian government to act.

According to a lengthy decree shared with BitKE that is signed by the 18 Attorney Generals, Gambaryan’s contributions to U.S. national security and global law enforcement cannot be overstated, and his current situation demands immediate action by the U.S. federal government for the following reasons:

  • A distinguished federal career – Tigran Gambaryan has spent his career on the front lines of international law enforcement, working with U.S. federal agencies to dismantle some of the most dangerous criminal organizations in the world.
  • Gambaryan’s Compliance Efforts at Binance – Gambaryan, bringing his extensive experience in federal and international investigations, focused on helping to make Binance a more responsible partner for U.S. law enforcement and US Intelligence. This was at a time when the company was under intense scrutiny across the globe for its lack of regulatory oversight and alleged involvement in illicit financial transactions.
  • An unjust detention – Upon arrival, Gambaryan was arrested without cause, his passport confiscated, and he was detained without formal charges. For two weeks, he was denied his most basic human rights – no access to the U.S. Embassy, legal counsel, or even basic medical and nutritional requirements. For months, Gambaryan has been held in Kuje Prison, a facility notorious for housing violent extremists from Boko Haram and ISIS.
  • An immediate threat to his life – Gambaryan’s health has severely deteriorated during his imprisonment – he has been denied treatment for multiple bouts of malaria and pneumonia, and his untreated herniated disc has left him immobile.
  • The call for hostage designation – A plea to designate Gambaryan a hostage under the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act. This designation will unlock critical resources and apply additional diplomatic pressure to ensure his immediate release
  • A duty to protect –  To send a message that the United States will not tolerate the unlawful detention of its citizens is not only a matter of principle but a duty owed to Gambaryan, his family, and the countless men and women who dedicate their lives to protecting this nation.

From 2011 to 2021, Tigran Gambaryan was employed as a Special Agent with the IRS Criminal Investigation Division (CI). During his employment, Tigran led or contributed critical investigative work to the most significant cyber and cryptocurrency crime investigations in the world including:

  • 2014: Corrupt Baltimore Silk Road Task Force agents
  • 2014: Mt. Gox Hack
  • 2017-ongoing: BTC-e
  • 2017-ongoing: Roger Ver
  • 2017: AlphaBay Market
  • 2019: Tigran conducted investigative work that led to the takedown of one of the largest markets of child sexual exploitation material
  • 2020: The Twitter Hack
  • 2020: 69,370 Bitcoin Seizure
  • 2021: Bitcoin Fog

Looking at the decree from these attorneys, and factoring in the current political climate in the United States where the incumbent president is looking to have his party retain the presidency, it would seem the administration would be forced to act in order to project power and control like they have previously done with other hostage situations in recent months from other parts of the world, particularly in Russia and Iran.

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The plea could not have come at a better time as the United States goes to the ballot and as the need to demonstrate protection of citizens, who will determine the outcome of the election, becomes more important.

 

The plea strongly urges the President and Secretary of State to take political action by saying:

“If the U.S. government fails to utilize every tool at its disposal to defend one of its most dedicated law enforcement officers, what hope is left for the countless families of other wrongfully detained Americans around the world?

To fail in this obligation to the American people would tragically frustrate the most fundamental question first posed by President John Quincy Adams, “What good do we do?”

 

Seems like the strong political message finally yielded results.

 

 

 

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